Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, connecting Johor Baru and Singapore, will proceed without further delay. — Picture by Ben Tan
JOHOR BARU, Oct 31 — The Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, connecting Johor Baru and Singapore, will proceed without further delay, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today.
“The cost of the project has been reduced by 36 per cent from RM4.93 billion to RM3.16 billion,” he said during an announcement and press conference on the RTS Link at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) facility in the Sultan Iskandar Building here today.
The deal, which was originally drawn up between the former Barisan Nasional administration and the Singapore government, is crucial for connectivity between the Republic and Malaysia’s Southern Economic Corridor Iskandar Malaysia, and to resolve long-standing traffic congestion on the Johor Causeway.
The resumption was predicted after Dr Mahathir confirmed that Putrajaya will proceed with the RTS Link during the launch of the National Transport Policy in Kuala Lumpur on October 17.
When tabling Budget 2020, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng also said the federal government “intends to proceed” with the RTS as a long-term solution to address cross-border congestion.
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